Subway fire: Shocking cause of accident finally revealed!

Subway fire: Shocking cause of accident finally revealed!

A frightening event occurred on November 19, 2024, when a passengerless subway train on the U1 line burned out between the Taubstummengasse and Südtiroler Platz-Hauptbahnhof stops. Six people were injured. As a result, several subway stations between Reumannplatz and Schwedenplatz had to be temporarily closed and a replacement rail service was set up Today reported several times.

300 employees were deployed around the clock to repair the badly damaged track and carry out safety checks. Thanks to their extraordinary efforts, the route was able to be used continuously again on November 29th. An external fire expert was commissioned to clarify the cause of the fire. As Wiener Linien explained in a recent release, a chain of unfortunate circumstances led to the fire, which was caused by an electrical defect in the power cables of the traction motors. Insulation damage to the wiring led to a short circuit. All trains of this type are now being checked and no systematic errors were found, according to the transport company.

Fast repairs and comprehensive checks

The infrastructure repairs were completed in record time. Not only 50 meters of track had to be replaced, but also several kilometers of cable. After the basic technical infrastructure was restored, tests were carried out to ensure safe rail operations. Finally, a track measuring vehicle was used and final test drives were carried out Vienna lines communicated. All affected stations were also thoroughly cleaned to ensure proper operation.